MANILA — Filipino pole vault star EJ Obiena is back home after winning another Asian Games gold medal in record-breaking fashion.
Obiena cleared a height of 5.91-meters during the final in Nagoya — improving upon the mark of 5.90-m that he set in Hangzhou in 2023.
READ: EJ Obiena rules Asiad pole vault anew, delivers PH's third gold
"If you remember, I jumped 5.90 in Hangzhou (at the previous Asian Games). It was perfect conditions, no rain, perfect wind," he said. "Jumping that again in a much tougher condition says that I'm in a much better shape."
Asked what changed, Obiena pointed to the period after the Paris Olympics, wherein he just missed out on the podium.
"I would say resilience, and to be honest, just trying. I think after Paris, it's maybe certain, how do you say, motivations were not on the right track," he said.
"And I think that, of course, affects the way you perform, and I think falling short of third (place in Paris) influences the way I see things in a darker sense, so that I wanted to prove who I believe I am, and rushing everything is not great in sports," he said.
Obiena said he eventually found his way back to why he does the sport.
"I relearned and I realized I enjoy those moments when the pressure is there and I need to perform. For me to have those moments again, I need to kind of reinvent myself and be able to be at the top of my game," he said.
Part of that reinvention was moving to Greece to train. Last July, Obiena moved his training base from Formia, Italy to Athens, Greece, ending a long and productive partnership with renowned Ukrainian coach Vitaly Petrov.
"I had the blessing of Vitaly Petrov of course, when I moved… The new team is not just younger, their energy is incredible," he said.
READ: EJ Obiena 'very satisfied' to end 2026 season with Asiad gold
READ: EJ Obiena rediscovers joy in pole vaulting, feels 'reborn' after Asiad gold
He now trains alongside world no. 2 Emmanouil Karalis.
"I like that environment where there's competitiveness, but everybody's friendly," the Olympian said. "It helps if you have someone like that and you have a healthy relationship with, it's gold."
Obiena is currently ranked 11th in the world, with a personal best of 5.91-m this year. His personal best of 6.00-m was set in 2023.
"Right now, I'm very happy that I'm healthy. And as long as I can do this at the level that I think I still enjoy, I'll be here. I'll have fun and enjoy," he said.
.jpeg)
Filipino pole vaulter EJ Obiena celebrates after winning the men's pole vault gold medal in the 2026 Asian Games, September 29, 2026 at the Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium in Nagoya, Japan. POC Media
Next on his calendar is the indoor season, which he sees as a low-risk stretch.
"The good thing is indoor season, I don't really have registered any significant marks that would affect my ranking," Obiena said. "So I have nothing to lose during the indoor season and everything to gain. Which hopefully, with the right preparation, I hopefully can improve my ranking as well."
Obiena also explained that his calendar next year is already filling up as he aims to qualify for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
"Next year, we have, of course, the Asian Championship in May, and then September is going to be busy. We have the World Championship and then the Southeast Asian Games," he said.
But before the indoor meets begin, he turns his focus to resting. Obiena will go back to Europe for a week with his girlfriend and fellow decorated athlete Caroline Joyeux.
"It's going to be a good time. I think it's a much-needed break for me and her," Obiena said.
"She's the best triple jumper in Germany. She was in the European Championship. She made the finals last year in the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo. She's ranked top 20 in the world," he added.
The two have been together for six years now, overcoming the obstacles that come with the life of an athlete on tour including long distance and busy schedules.
"I'm very proud to have someone that's also successful in her field."